Coffee

[alexander]

We have a thread going for beer, that discusses good beers that people have had, self-brewers, etc. But there is another drink out there, that i am almost equally passionate about, that will be the infusion of Rubiaceae (some variety of it) seed in hot water, in the masses, it's called Coffee.

For any gourmet coffee lover in the house, list your favorite seeds (with roast level), if you have a favorite way of making coffee, or a special something to make it more specialer, especially pertaining to roasting etc, tips, tricks, blends, recipes all welcome here

My favorite is Kana Peaberry, roasted just past Medium, to a point where it is still medium roast, little heavier, litte darker, but it already starts getting the smoky overtones of the dark roast
Generally enjoy it pressed, pressed propperly at that, it should be clean, with very few grounds; it's better dripped if you don't have a good press or are lacking in technique, or have a bad grinder that produces an ununiform grind and too many grounds escape...

[C1ay]

Like beer I like my coffee strong. I start my morning with a café cubano or cortadito. It is basically an American pot of coffee squeezed into a 6 oz cup. I prefer to pull it from a fresh extra fine Turkish grind of medium roasted Colombian beans.

[Buffy]

I have a friend who roasts his own (another post around here somewhere about that), and it's to die for.

My regular brew is Peet's Arabian Mocha Sanani, either through the espresso machine or ground extra fine dripped. I do NOT like dark roasts because they are too bitter for me. Just grind it fine to get that Turkish effect like C1ay sez....if it takes a while to get through that filter, that's just fine!

Of course she's shooting Freeze-Dried Folgers,
Buffy

[alexander]

Take it you guys are not fans of the french presses, eh?

Sounds like pretty delicious, for both of your coffees.... You can roast your own coffee, you just have to do it right, i would personally roast it over a wooden flame on a steel mesh, or even in an open brick oven, to get a smokier, hazier smell and taste to it. Though i never roasted coffee, i would think that is how i would start experimenting with it. My thing is, i would pay 40 bucks for a 16oz bag of it, and potentially screw it up...

I dont like very dark roasts, though i should not say that i never drink them, nor that they are not delicious, some are extremely so, but i still like my roast past medium, kinda has to hit this "happy" spot.

[Tolouse]

Folgers, 2 scoops for 6-7 cups of water

and a coffee cup that hasn't been washed in 3 years (that's the way the US Navy does it, sailor style)

[C1ay]

Cowboy Coffee:

2 Scoops of water
2 Cups of coffee

Boil 'til a horseshoe floats....

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by alexander

Take it you guys are not fans of the french presses, eh?

My mom loves her french press. I have one too, but I rarely use it.

Drip, machine or press, its really all in the grind. With the press, you need it coarse so you don't get a cup full of grounds (in fact I even tend to pour it through a filter afterward anyway, because I so detest the grit in my teeth), and its got to sit to get it "thick" like I like...by which time its getting *cold* even if you've pre-heated the press, in which case it ends up getting zapped in the microwave, which to my palette changes the taste.

Conversely drip or machine means fine grind and doesn't have to do more than pass through the grounds quickly and stays hot. Still mighty strong if you grind it fine enough (and not buying cheap filters if you're dripping makes a difference with fine grinds!)....

So, I do French Press when I go to my mom's and we gulp the stuff down as soon as its ready, but otherwise for me its the drip or machine...

Coffee, which makes the politician wise, and see through all things with his half-shut eyes,
Buffy

[alexander]

Buffy, i have one recommendation for you, if you dont mind, or even care

Sum it up in one word: Bodum

haven't had a ground go through yet

ofcourse i should say, french press is an art. You can't skimp on 2 things, you cant skimp on the press, because better quality presses have generally, better filters,, better quality materials that won't loose the heat, and now, Bodum has a double-blown line; and you can't skimp on the grinder, because a cheap rotating blade grinder will not produce the proper results, you may get away with it for pressure, and you may get away with it for drip, but in no way will you get away with it for FP (french press).

Start with the press, it's in how good your press is, and how you use it (oh boy, i know the comments coming) But, ok, you say you like your coffee thick, which means that you likely get dark, bold roasts, for full-bodied coffee, and wait for like 5 miutes for it to get ready in a press. Thing is, first of all, the water you use, should have just been boiled, literaly under 25 seconds prior to the pouring it. Then you quickly mix the coffe with a wooden spoon, to get all grounds covered with water, and at this point you need to put in the top cap, in the snout closed position, because, at least with my bodum, it will prevent the heat leaving, really well. I leave my coffee in for about 4 and a half minutes, and it comes out perfectly, steaming hot, and almost at a drinking temp (little above).

second part, the grinder, if you don't get coffee pre-ground by the maker, i do, since i have no grinder, but you want a grinder that will give you a uniform grind, problem with blades is that it will create some big grounds, and also powder, and that is something your press does not like, and creates the grit. If your press uses a nylon filter, you may get away with it, but a proper, steel-mesh filter will alow some powder through, and is a lot more picky about the ground. I should say that the technique used for plunging is important. You tend to want to stay at a slow, steady rate, without forcing, steady plunge weilds less grounds. Lastly, you want to plung straight down, if you wiggle your hand too much, or get a bit of an angle going, you also risk grounds escaping...

As i said, i have had good luck so far, the new press is doing an awesome job, and so far the only time when grounds escaped, the press was being used by my dad...

[Moontanman]

First I'd like to say I do like coffee, there are times when a good cup of coffee (an oxymoron for sure) satisfies like nothing else. A campfire, an old time steel coffee pot sitting on the side of the fire early in the morning, sitting back with the cold damp morning air and fog drifting through the camp site, The wonderful smell of eggs, potatoes, and bacon snapping in the cast iron skillet and that warm cup of coffee slowing opening your senses...... hard to beat.... but as soon as you guys find a coffee that actually tastes good let me know

[Buffy]

Originally Posted by alexander

Sum it up in one word: Bodum

Indubitably! I've never owned anything but! They do get worn out though...I always thought they ought to come with spare screens. My problem is that I regularly disassemble them to clean them, which makes the screen fray faster.

I do grind my own, even though its a fancy burr grinder, its still not sifted (which is the real trick in getting really consistent grounds), and you do get them coming through the screen. Your approach of using pre-ground coffee is actually the hot tip on french press....

And yes, a light touch helps. One of the reasons I think that people who use manual-pull espresso machines are silly snobs. Leave those to the cute espresso guys in Italy...

Do you know how helpless you feel if you have a full cup of coffee in your hand and you start to sneeze?
Buffy